don't you ever grow up, it could stay this simple
by Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs
Summary: It had been a quiet day. The calm before the storm, as they said.


A/N: Just a cute, pre-series Kirsten/Hailey thing. Title from the Taylor Swift song Never Grow Up.

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the oc.

* * *

It had been a quiet day. The calm before the storm, as they said.

Kirsten Cohen was still getting used to the quiet. After so many months of classes and a loud college campus, the large, mostly-empty house was still an adjustment. Even the mail truck had been loud; the not-so-thick walls let in the outdoor noise, and the older engine had made a variety of noises.

It wasn't that she didn't like the house. She did. It really felt like home, and it had the moment they'd walked in. It had a nice kitchen, a spacious backyard, and three bedrooms, set up so that the nursery could be right next to the master bedroom. It felt like a house they could really spend the rest of their lives in.

But Sandy was working all the time, and her friends had spread out across the country, and her family was in Newport- and she'd started her maternity leave, so she wasn't working. Her doctor had been worried about her blood pressure, so he'd encouraged her to take leave a few weeks early- Sandy had agreed, so even though she had four weeks to go, she'd taken time off from the art gallery.

Most of the time, it was nice- after Sandy had spent the weekend assembling the furniture for the nursery, she'd been able to unpack all the clothes they'd been given, and set up the crib with the bedding she and Sandy had picked out. She liked the tiny baby boy clothes and the light blue they'd painted the walls.

She was brushing her hair when she heard the phone ringing; groaning, she made her way down the stairs. Just as she reached the phone the machine picked up, and she sighed, leaning against the counter as she listened.

"_Hey honey, it's Mom. I don't want to worry you, but Hailey took a bit of a fall today, and she broke her arm, or at least we think she did- they're doing x-rays now. She's fine, so don't worry about her. She'll be up and running in no time. Your dad and I just wanted to let you know. Hope everything's going well, I love you, and I'll talk to you later."_

It takes Kirsten about thirty seconds after the message ends before she's got the phone in her hand, dialing.

"Sandy? We need to get to Newport."

* * *

It takes Sandy twenty minutes to get home, and another five before they're back on the road.

They only had one car, and even if they'd had two Kirsten wouldn't have been able to drive it; she could barely sit comfortably, let alone get behind the wheel. As soon as she'd told him Hailey had been hurt, he'd left work, and Kirsten felt warmth bloom in her chest at how much he loved her baby sister too.

It took about six hours to get to Newport, but the drive had never felt quite this long to Kirsten before.

When they finally pulled up to the house (because Kirsten knew they wouldn't still be at the hospital), she had to pee, her back hurt, and the time in the car had left her nauseous. But she could see the lights on and the car in the driveway, so she could feel the beginning of relief starting in her chest.

Sandy turned the car off, got out, and walked around to her door, opening it up and helping her out, his hands warm against her skin. She smiled tiredly, squeezing his hip lightly as he wrapped an arm around her. She left the bag she'd hastily packed in the backseat and slid her hand into Sandy's, following him to the front door; she knocked, three rapid raps in succession.

It took a few moments, but finally the door opened, revealing Rose Nichol, still dressed primly in a sharp navy blue pansuit, blonde hair pinned back tightly, but dark circles under her still slightly red-rimmed eyes. Blue eyes widened momentarily before her lips curled into a smile, hands reaching out as Kirsten stepped forward.

"Kirsten, honey, what are you doing here?" she asked, wrapping her into a hug; Kirsten buried her face in her collar for a moment, inhaling deeply before stepping back, fingers finding Sandy's again.

"I got your message- I had to see Hailey," she replied, hand pressing against the particularly hard kick the baby decided to bestow on her right side and wincing slightly. "Is she awake?"

"She's watching a movie in the living room, your dad's back at the office- come on in," her mom replied, pausing to give Sandy a kiss on the cheek. "Nice to see you, Sandy."

"You too Rose," Sandy replied, smiling at her and hanging back as Kirsten headed into the living room. Hailey was curled up on the couch, bright pink cast on display where it rested on the arm of the couch; her auburn hair was up in her classic pigtails, and a half-eaten bowl of ice cream was left on the coffee table in front of her.

Kirsten smiled; Hailey was absorbed by The Little Mermaid (her favorite movie _of all time_, last time Kirsten had seen her), and hadn't heard them come in. Moving over to sit beside her, Kirsten plopped down carefully, looking at the screen.

"So, watching this again?" she asked casually, working to keep her face neutral as Hailey jumped slightly at the sound of her voice. There was a moment of silence as Hailey gaped at her; Kirsten watched out of the corner of her eye as her little sister's mouth curled into a grin.

"Kiki!" Hailey shrieked before launching herself at her; Kirsten caught her in a hug, wrapping her arms around her slight frame and squeezing her tightly. It was a slightly awkward position, but they both held on tightly; Hailey's cast was heavy, and Kirsten hugged her a little closer to a minute, soaking in the giggle Hailey gave when the baby kicked right against her side. "That's still weird."

"He's your nephew, he is not _weird_," Kirsten replied, nudging at her with a grin. "So the pink cast is new."

"Yeah," Hailey replied, nose wrinkling as she looked at it. "Fell off my bike."

Kirsten touched the scratch on her chin lightly, frowning; Hailey squirmed, turning to settle into Kirsten's side and turn back to the movie. Kirsten looked down at her with a smile, fingers gently running through her hair.

"So how's school?" Kirsten asked, combing through Hailey's long, tangled hair as the mermaids sang on screen. Hailey shrugged, fingers tapping gently against Kirsten's knee.

"We're learning about the Industrial Revolution," she replied, sounding bored. "But Mommy's letting me take French lessons from Abby, up the street, and I _love_ it. Daddy promised he'd take me to France when I know more."

"That'll be nice," Kirsten replied, shifting her position slightly when pain flared in her lower back. "You can have all the baguettes that you like."

"You have to come too Kiki!" Hailey exclaimed, sitting up on her knees and facing Kirsten, face lit up. "We can see the Eiffel Tower together and the Mona Lisa and take a boat ride on the Seine!"

Kirsten grinned, tucking a few strands of hair behind the excited nine year old's ear. "Well you just let me know when we're going and I'll be there."

Hailey grinned back, showing off the gaps where she'd lost teeth recently. "Did you bring Sandy?"

"Had to. Can't exactly fit behind the wheel of a car anymore," Kirsten replied, sighing dramatically as she touched the side of her stomach. "He's in the kitchen with Mom- want to go say hello?"

Hailey nodded, leaping off the couch and waiting as Kirsten carefully stood up, catching her balance before letting Hailey grab her hand and tug her towards the kitchen. Rose was making coffee when they walked in; Hailey launched herself at Sandy, who scooped her up easily, shifting her up onto his hip.

"Hey kid! Nice pink cast," Sandy said, poking her in the side with a finger, grinning when she giggled. Kirsten sat at one of the island chairs, accepting the iced tea her mom put in front of her with a smile as Sandy and Hailey chatted.

"You know I'm sure your dad would like to see you, since you're up here," Rose said quietly, sitting down beside her with a cup of coffee. Kirsten looked at her, taking a sip of her drink. "The guest bedroom is all made up. You and Sandy are free to stay."

"Mom-"

"I wouldn't want you to have packed that overnight bag in the backseat for nothing," Rose interrupted, giving her daughter a knowing look. "And I can't imagine you'll want to be getting back in the car again. You're eight months pregnant, honey. Stay the night, have breakfast with us, you and Sandy can head back after lunch."

Kirsten looked at her for a moment before relenting with a nod, accepting the kiss Rose pressed to the side of her head, squeezing her shoulder as she walked past, saying softly "You know, Hailey didn't say a word until you showed up. Just nodded or shook her head. 'Kiki' were the first words out of her mouth since the hospital."

Kirsten's eyes widened as she turned her head to look at Hailey, still giggling at whatever Sandy was telling her. She smiled, resting her chin in her hand as she watched her little sister.

It made the six hour drive worth it.

* * *

While Hailey had dragged Kirsten back to the movie, Sandy had gone out to the car, grabbing their bag and placing it in the guest room on the ground floor they always stayed in. He joined them on the couch once he was done; slipping his arm around her shoulders, he shifted so she could cuddle back against him while still letting Hailey lean against her.

The nine year old was now sound asleep in her bed, content in the knowledge that her sister would be there when she woke up; they'd stayed up with Rose for a while, talking about how things had been and how the last doctor's appointment had gone. No one said they were specifically waiting up for Caleb, but when it hit ten o'clock and he still hadn't shown up, Sandy hadn't been able to ignore how often Kirsten was yawning and how heavily she was leaning against him any longer.

Sandy was already in bed, a file in his lap as he waited for Kirsten to come out of the bathroom; she walked out yawning, a soft blue nightgown on and her hair loose around her shoulders. He set aside the file, watching her slowly lower herself onto the bed, stretching out on her back and sighing. Sandy switched off the light and moved down on the bed, turning onto his side and curling into Kirsten, who snuggled back into him easily.

"Thank you," she whispered into the dark, fingers interlacing with his and pressing back into him a little more. He brushed a kiss to her shoulder, squeezing her fingers in his.

"For what?" he asked quietly, his free hand spanning across her side, lips quirking upwards at the kick he felt.

"For leaving work for me. For driving. For knowing I had to be here," Kirsten replied, turning herself slightly so she could look at her husband. Sandy's eyes were soft; he reached his hand up, brushing blonde hair out of her eyes as he smiled, thumb brushing over her cheekbone.

"They're your family honey. She's your little sister. Of course we had to be here," he said, hand cupping her jaw as he leaned forward, mouth brushing hers; she sighed softly, leaning into the kiss for a moment before breaking away, smiling.

"Your son has decided it's playtime," she murmured against his mouth, nose brushing his gently. Sandy laughed, hand cupping her belly as he nuzzled her ear with his nose.

"Damn those Cohen genes," he replied, stubble brushing against the soft skin of her neck as his fingers brushed her thigh. "We _are_ party animals at night, you know."

"We are in my parent's guest bedroom Sandy Cohen," Kirsten shut him down with a glare, though her expression was amused. He sighed dramatically, winking at her good-naturedly.

"Ah well, there's always tomorrow night."

Kirsten hit her husband with a laugh.


End file.
